FCS specializes in the seamless integration of new technologies, so your organization and facilities will maximize the return on investment.

Simulator Consulting Services

Training simulators have gained wide acceptance as an effective way to improve power plant availability and performance. Simulators allow operator trainees to gain practical experience in the shortest possible time. They can also be used to meet other objectives including training other personnel as part of a multi-skilling effort, validating plant procedures, and in evaluating control system and plant design modifications.

Often times, purchased simulators do not met these objectives because they were not properly specified, did not undergo detailed enough validation during the design and testing phase, and/or did not have adequately designed training programs. FCS has extensive experience developing simulator specifications, and conducting design reviews, model validation, and acceptance testing to ensure the simulator meets the utility's requirements.

The best engineered simulators have limited value unless they are implemented in a well-planned, comprehensive training program designed to meet the specific objectives of the plant and personnel expected to be trained. FCS has extensive experience designing and developing power plant simulator training programs for control room operators and other plant staff.

THE FCS SOLUTION

FCS provides support to utility and other power generation clients involved in procuring a power plant simulator, including:

Simulator Feasibility Study

Justifies simulator and associated investment

Specification Development

Identifies training requirements

Vendor (Bidder) Evaluation

Includes objective evaluation approach designed to quantify each Bidder's response to the bid specification

Acceptance Testing Assistance

Environmental Services

A primary concern for operators of today’s new or existing power plants – whether coal, oil or gas fired – is the control of environmental air emissions. Air control systems designed to remove NOx, Sulfur, Carbon Monoxide, Mercury, dust and other pollutants have been mandated by the EPA. FCS will ensure the operators of these new systems are trained in proper operation and control under normal and abnormal conditions.

Operators are expected to learn a new system and controls with no previous experience. That is where FCS comes in. We can provide that experience, having produced training courses and materials for many plants including those designed by Hitachi Power Systems America, Shaw, Black and Veatch, Wheelabrator, Babcock And Wilcox, URS Washington Group, and Alstom. Some of the technologies FCS has experience in includes:

We can develop training and documentation that will help you and your plant seamlessly integrate new technologies into your workforce. We are eager to pass that experience on to you and your operators!

FCS also has extensive experience providing a range of operational excellence or readiness services in support of coal power plant conversions to natural gas firing.

In addition to supporting projects with air quality control systems, FCS has extensive experience supporting Industrial Water Systems and Systems designed to treat runoff from coal piles, ash ponds, gypsum piles and son on around industrial facilities.

FCS has also recently been supporting Coal Combustible Residual (CCR) projects designed to support the environmentally sound recycling of coal ash and safe disposal of coal ash in landfills and surface impoundments. In support of the CCR projects FCS has worked on the following systems:

Maintenance Management Support

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MMS) IMPLEMENTATION

FCS has assisted with the development and installation computerized Maintenance Management Systems at numerous utility and manufacturing plants.

These systems provide a "state-of-the-art" solution to the automation of maintenance management functions. The systems allow for easy customization, and the data collected is available to users in the most flexible format possible. It assists maintenance personnel with their basic activities:

Maintenance planning, scheduling, and record keeping

Spare parts control

Purchasing

Storage and retrieval of equipment data

Preventive, Predictive and Corrective Maintenance activities

A key component of reliable service, managed through a computerized MMS, is having the following elements to ensure reliable equipment operations:

Asset Identification System

The Asset Identification System is an important resource for compiling, organizing, and managing the equipment installed at your facility. Once loaded into the MMS database, it allows maintenance tasks to be identified and scheduled, and for spare parts to be identified and tracked to specific equipment.

Predictive and Preventive Maintenance Plans

The maintenance plans identify those pieces of equipment that require periodic maintenance to ensure facility reliability. They provide the scheduling data for the MMS-generated maintenance orders to ensure reliable equipment operations and reduced equipment life-cycle costs.

Spare Parts

An effective spare parts program is needed to minimize downtime of the equipment, systems and facilities. The spare parts programs are based on the maintenance required for the facility components and must be reasonably available during both planned and unplanned maintenance activities.

Maintenance Lubrication Schedules

Lubrication schedules detail the type of lubricant required, the points to be lubricated and the frequency of lubrication again ensuring reliable equipment operations.

Although not specially part of an MMS implementation, Facility Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) Procedures are an important part of an effective maintenance management as they ensure the maintenance work is done safely. FCS can provide comprehensive and site specific LOTO as required.

E-Learning(Computer-Based Training )

The benefits of E-Learning or Computer-Based Training have become more apparent as computer costs have decreased and hardware and software performance and capabilities have improved. As a result of the need to reduce training implementation costs and improve plant staff productivity, many progressive organizations are researching, planning, and implementing projects using Computer-Based Training.

Organizations investigating Computer-Based Training are finding that most vendors presently offering Computer-Based Training are in fact offering “repackaged” presentations of their generic training that have minimal changes in technical content and often minimal relevance to your facility; especially for the more advanced topics. This generic approach may be effective for training basics, but is not sufficient to effectively address the plant and job-specific training objectives that must be mastered if an organization is to have a more productive work force. As new technology is installed in plants, an effective means for cost-effectively transferring the new technologies to the plant employees, updating the plant training and qualifications programs must be in place.

Fossil Consulting Services (FCS) offers customized Computer-Based Training (CBT) that takes advantage of the latest advances in training technology, while allowing organizations to cost-effectively enhance existing training materials. In many cases, existing training materials accurately reflect the knowledge and skills associated with plant jobs, and these programs only require conversion and enhancement to the new technology. The FCS CBT can be delivered on-line (web-based) or independently on a computer.

FCS has the experience and technical knowledge to implement an entire program from the analysis phase through implementation and evaluation.